This analysis reviews five recent horror films – "Pearl," "Smile," "Piggy," "Terrifier 2," and "Barbarian" – highlighting their unique contributions to the genre, from character studies of madness and societal commentary to supernatural thrillers and slasher revivals, all while celebrating the resurgence of horror cinema in 2022.
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'Pearl' follows the titular character in a prequel story, decades before the events
of 'X' and learning about the origins of Pearl's erratic persona. She is a young woman with lofty
dreams of becoming a star, but clashes in the face of a dull life in the country, being governed by
her ruthless mother. Pearl is married to Howard, who has gone off to fight in the war and whose
lack of presence makes the girl feel lonelier than ever. She spends her days tending to the animals,
preparing meals and going into town for supplies. Occasionally she takes detours to go to the movie
theaters, where she is impressed by the wonderful spectacles of the early films in history,
dreaming of being a dancer and touring the entire country doing what she loves. However,
things will get complicated when family tension erupts with confrontations with her mother,
without her father interfering as he is paralyzed in a wheelchair. Pearl will
take a more psychopathic attitude and will not let anyone restrict her dreams, not even
those who can help her move forward faster and better. With a dark and bittersweet ending, this
sequel-prequel manages to create a charismatic character that will descend into madness, making
us better understand her attitude during the events that will take place years later in 'X.'
Perhaps the strongest point of 'Pearl' is its stellar acting. Mia Goth returns for director
Ti West's trilogy, this time stealing the lead role instead of being only half of the film as
in 'X.' Her performance goes so far as to not only convince audiences of Mia Goth's acting chops, but
many are commenting online how it's even academy award-worthy, watching a girl fall into the grips
of madness until a credits scene as extended as it is traumatic. It may not be the same supernatural
effect of Freddy Krueger, or the indestructibility of Michael Myers, but Pearl as a movie villain
becomes as iconic as Dorothy is in her own The Yellow Brick Road. This time the actress' full
repertoire is on display, and the rest of the cast is no slouch, complementing it masterfully
in a tribute to the golden age of cinema, taking clear inspirations from the Wizard of Oz or Mary
Poppins. In 'Pearl' there is no predominance of monsters or dark entities, only the human mind
after being repressed for so long, unleashing and freeing itself to fulfill its greatest fantasies.
Smile Dr. Rose Cotter works in a psychiatric
ward where she is often stressed by the heavy workload she can encounter. One day she receives
a young girl patient named Laura Weaver, who is brought in after spotting a teacher taking his
own life while "smiling," according to her. During their encounter, Laura is paranoid to the point of
desperation, asking Rose to listen to her, as she has a bigger problem than anyone can realize. She
claims to see a specter that takes the form of people she knows and smiles grotesquely at her,
scaring her everywhere since watching her teacher. At first she labels it a case of schizophrenia,
but things get complicated when Rose witnesses Laura violently taking her own life while smiling
disturbingly. Rose now gets a strange condition that causes her to repeat the same pattern as
Laura, seeing a similar entity smiling at her from a distance. As time progresses Rose
begins to detach from reality, not knowing what things are happening for real and what is not,
complicating her relationship with her partner and family. She will be assisted by her ex,
a police detective who will help her investigate and understand that this new condition is not just
a mental trick, but a series of curses that have been passed from person to person, all following
the same cycle. She will have to solve the riddle in order to eliminate her sinister smile
disease before it is too late, and perhaps the solution may leave more than one of them harmed.
Being the surprise horror hit of 2022, 'Smile' was a step forward in dark entertainment, even
if the plot may seem cliché and formulaic. Similar to the premise of 'Final Destination,' 'The Ring'
or 'It Follows,' this movie is an entertaining macabre game that will make its protagonist make
daring decisions, and at times will play with the viewer's reality in more than one scene.
Raw and unfiltered sequences, with an erratic and terrifying final confrontation from the hand of an
unparalleled entity, 'Smile' deserves to have earned more than ten times its initial budget
at the box office. Even if it didn't quite please the critics, who called it unoriginal and falling
into many of the genre's conventions, it's still a solid addition to the long line of paranormal
thrillers, although it's unknown if there will be sequels in the future. Considering that it earned
almost two hundred million at the box office against an initial budget of seventeen million,
it is likely that the smiling entities will be seen in theaters again very soon.
Piggy Sara is an overweight girl
working on a butcher house who has to endure the taunts of her bullies in the countryside of Spain.
She is often teased as "Piggy" and even singled out on social media against her will. However,
things take a turn one day when, after receiving exaggerated harassment from her bullies,
Sara manages to observe how they are kidnapped by an unknown figure who appears friendly to her. The
figure is a man of few words who will be posing a threat to the community, but always in order
to help Sara with her self-esteem issues. The man goes overboard with helping the young girl, and
Sara is morally conflicted about whether or not to talk about what is going on around her. On the one
hand, she can't bear the guilt of knowing what is going on with her bullies' disappearances,
but on the other she feels that this is the first time she can have an intimate connection with
someone else, maybe her only opportunity for it. The story will take a dark thriller turn,
with Sara discovering the fate of her tormenters and wanting to sort it all out before it's too
late, perhaps with irreparable consequences. Its strong and shocking denouement will make
anyone's hair stand on end, and even if someone manages to get the ending right, you can't help
but admit that it's still graphic enough to put the icing on the cake of a great production.
Of all the titles on the list, 'Piggy' is the one with the most social component,
as it criticizes the current fatphobia lived in the world. With tough performances, the
cast exposes an emotional and frustrating script, which from the first seconds of the film you want
the protagonist to win at any cost, only without knowing what her final goal will be. Although
some behaviors of the antagonists in the story may seem cartoonish or even exaggerated, the burden of
conscience or the motives they possess to commit their acts are not far from real life. A film
that feels real until the very last second, and shows to the inexperienced the kind of takes that
international cinema can deliver on horror. With reviews praising Laura Galán's performance as Sara
and her commitment to providing effective social commentary in many ways through a character that
may become iconic among female horror figures. Her character was even compared to the hero’s journey
found on Carrie, as an evolution during teenage years. By the end the viewer can be in a state
of peace and stillness, even if surrounded by a bizarre and dark aura of what they have just seen.
Terrifier 2 Following the horrid events of 'Terrifier,'
the diabolical Art, the clown is resurrected by a dark and unknown entity to once again cause
a terrifying night of terror. Now Art's mind is being haunted by a sinister clown girl similar to
him who urges him to destroy everyone around him, choosing particular victims as usual. This time
it's siblings Sienna and Jonathan Shaw, who are still suffering from the loss of their father to
a brain tumor. The siblings begin to have strange visions of Art, who appears to them both in dreams
and real life, generating negative reactions to those around them and with many taking them for
crazy, mixing realities with extremely high consequences. Meanwhile Art maintains the
same concept of unleashing his incomprehensible rage on the Shaw family acquaintances. Sienna
is obsessed with creating the perfect Halloween costume based on her father's comic concept art,
not realizing that the sword in her costume will be linked to Art's weak point. In addition to
disgusting confrontations, family conflicts and a presence that only raises questions,
'Terrifier' continues to stay true to everything seen before, even improving on its own formula.
Dreams, gasoline, resurrections from the morgue, clown girls, children's shows,
lots of fire and comic book heroes are just some of the elements of this title.
The film is a high note compared to its straightforward and linear first part,
generating rave reviews thanks to its special effects and lead characters. Viewers discussed and
came to the conclusion that ‘Terrifier 2’ actually surpasses its predecessor in very single aspect,
from acting to scrip to horror and supernatural elements. David Howard Thornton's performance
remains a menacing presence and a new horror classic alongside the likes of Jason Voorhees
and Freddy Krueger, perhaps with a more creative twist on Art’s modus operandi. In addition,
the story expands the mythology of this maniacal and enigmatic character, giving him sequentiality
until the very last scene. It remains unknown if the characters in this film will return,
but Art will undoubtedly remain an icon of contemporary slasher horror for a long
time to come. Although the film is far from perfect, it still remains an entertaining
option for entertaining nights out and B-horror lovers. Its director has even commented on the
possibility of making not only a 'Terrifier 3,' but a fourth installment if necessary,
which would explore the background of the clown and his reasons for committing such crimes,
a key element that has remained absent during the first two installments.
Barbarian In the world of house booking
you never know what you might get. Tess Marshall decides to book a small residence in Brightmoor,
Detroit for a job interview, arriving in the middle of a dark rainy night.
There she discovers that the residence has been double booked by a guy named Keith,
who assures her that he also rented the place completely legally but on another platform.
Tess is nervous about Keith's presence, while he tries his best to make her feel at ease,
even showing a little attraction to her. As they spend the night together, they become intimate
to the point where they feel comfortable enough to talk to each other more deeply. They discover
that they have some things in common and decide to sleep, but are approached in the night by some
strange noises and movements in the house. The next day, during her job interview Tess
discovers that the place she is staying at is actually an abandoned and dangerous neighborhood,
with Keith nowhere in sight. Tess discovers a secret hatch in the basement that leads to a dark
and mysterious catacomb. When Keith shows up she decides to go investigate the basement, finding
something so disturbing that it will be impossible to understand. The story also involves some plot
breaks to expose other characters that will be vital to the main plot such as AJ Gilbride,
an actor who is in the middle of a scandal and will be looking for a quiet place to stay,
arriving at the same place as Tess and Keith. Although its credits include the likes of Justin
Long, Bill Skarsgard and Georgina Campbell, the success of 'Barbarian' was impressive and
was considered a ‘sleeper hit’, earning up to eleven times its original budget at the
box office. The mysterious and eerie tone of the first part of the film leaves no one indifferent,
even managing to go so far as to think that it will not be the typical story of masked men or
juvenile delinquents, and ends up being something much, much worse. The sinister atmosphere and the
humorous and well-achieved cuts make the film the most interesting experience, even for an
ending that goes according to what one knows about the genre with a small and sad twist. Likewise,
the film talks about Hollywood allegations and accusations, mid-century lifestyles, modern
residential rentals and even one-night stands, making emphasis about relationships with stranger,
teaching to trust no one. 'Barbarian' is not a story that can spawn sequels and spin-offs,
but it is a solid enough product to be crowned as the best of horror offerings in 2022.
Some of these movies may reach a potential sequel, but without a doubt 2022 was a step in the right
direction when it come to horror, relying not only on massive sagas, but with some fresh takes on old
ideas. The recovery of a somehow forgiven genre goes along with the new voices of directors like
Ti West or Zach Gregger. Will this be the renewal of the whole horror system? The only sure thing is
that while waiting for the answer, we should keep windows closed and a light always on.
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